Once out to Queens, we were given access to engineers and marketing people who've working so hard to re-invent Lincoln. Detailed presentations and then access individually. I was impressed by Dan, the Engineer behind EcoBoost. I'm sorry to say I do not remember his last name, but we had an interesting discussion about the future of EcoBoost, no I didn't get any scoops, but I did bounce some ideas off him to see what reaction I'd get. The entire Lincoln team were outstanding. Once we were fed and satisfied we had picked their brains to our satisfaction, we were teamed up and set loose with a car and directions. Think scavenger hunt or rally, 2 drivers, one car, a varied route and and let's not forget the toll money. I started off in the MKZ taking first turn behind the wheel, then my co-driver took over after our first stop. It was nice talking to him and getting a journalist' view of different subjects. We both agreed that since I'm not traditional media and not dependent on advertising dollars from the manufacturers I am free to rant and rave as I will.
It was a long day and very educational. Not just about the cars, but about "automotive journalist" also. Now I'm not going to reveal the name of the journalist or who they write for, but I was gobsmacked by the following exchange.
I was sitting at a table with some prominent journalists and there were two pistons on the table as props. Along comes a journalist who sits down and picks one up, then asks "what's this?" I thought they were just pulling my leg, since I'm not a professional so I replied jokingly that I thought it was an ashtray. This person looked at me blankly and I realized it wasn't a joke. I proceeded to explain that what this "automotive journalist" was holding was a piston. This is not a joke. A person who writes professionally about the auto industry and vehicles didn't know she was holding a piston. I wonder if she realized there was a row of turbo chargers on a rack labeled EcoBoost? Maybe she thought it was modern art or complimentary hair driers.
If you email me, I'll tell you what site this person writes for.
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